I'm coming with you
by spicysuits
Summary: Darvey one-shot : Donna has to have a couple of wisdom teeth removed, and Harvey takes care of her in the aftermath of the operation.


_Hello again angels! This is only my second fic, so please don't expect too much, but I found an old video of my own response to anaesthetic, and it triggered this idea to erupt in my brain, so I went ahead, and wrote it all down. Again, all comments and constructive criticism will be appreciated! I love you all heaps! x_

* * *

After being in agony for nearly a week, donna finally gave in and went to the dentist. The consultant had been in and out of the examination room a couple of times, which only left donna more frustrated and anxious, but finally returned with an answer. Not the one she was hoping for however, telling her that she will need to go to the hospital and be put under a general anaesthetic to have 2 of her wisdom teeth removed. She debated telling Harvey or not, but soon realized she didn't have much choice, as not only would he question why she would need the day off, but the doctor told her she'd also need picking up afterwards, as the after-effects of the drug can be unpredictable, and last for a while after waking up.

She decided to tell him after they'd finished their dinner that night, and were sprawled out on the bed sorting through a few rogue files that Harvey hadn't managed to finish before leaving the office. She was nervous about asking him if he could pick her after the operation, possibly because she still wasn't entirely used to harvey seeing her when she was vulnerable, and she definitely will be after having the surgery.

"Harvey, can I ask you something?" the hesitation evident in her voice.

"Of course babe, what's on your mind?"

"I'm not going to be at the office on Thursday, but, um, I was wondering if you could come and pick me up from the hospital sometime in the afternoon?"

"Is there something wrong? Why are you going to be at the hospital?" a rising concern bubbling in him, which wasn't helped by the nervousness in Donna's voice as she asked the question.

"No, no, I'm okay, I've just got to have a couple of wisdom teeth removed, and you know what they're like. After you've had any anesthetic, they want someone to babysit you. I'll just need picking up, so they let me go home, that's all" she says, obviously trying to make it seem like it's not a big deal at all.

"There's no way you're going there on your own, I'm coming with you"

"Harvey, I'll be okay, I just need a ride afterwards, it's okay"

"Donna. This isn't up for discussion. I'm coming with you, I'm staying and waiting for you to get out of theater, and then I'm going to bring you home and look after you. End of story." The finality in his voice making it clear his mind was already made up, even though donna wouldn't accept it without trying one last time.

"We can't both be off for the day, they'll need you at the firm. Really, I'll be okay on my own" she pleaded, despite knowing she wasn't going to win this one.

"I don't care. You come first. You _always_ come first. They'll manage one day without us at the firm." he took her hands in his as he said it, gave her a gentle kiss and stroked her cheek with his thumb. He was coming, and that was final.

Thursday soon came round, and as Donna had been told she wasn't allowed to eat anything beforehand, Harvey had made sure there was a coffee waiting for her on the table in her favourite mug, and another in a thermos so she could bring it with her for the wait before surgery. He was standing by the table, doing something on his phone while waiting for her. He looked good, dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark navy jumper, a small slither of a white t-shirt poking out just above the collar. She very rarely saw him in his casual clothes before they finally got together, so even though she now had that privilege daily, the appeal and novelty of it still hadn't worn off. And honestly, I didn't feel like it ever would. She stood for a second, just taking him in, appreciating the fact this was real, and was her normal now. There also laid a big bag next to one of the chairs, which caught Donnas attention. All that was visible from the top of it was the corner of a carton, and a little bit of fabric hanging over the side.

"Good morning beautiful" he said, the words now flowing from his mouth without a second thought, completely unlike everything else over the last 13 years.

"It's yoga pants, a tank top, and a massive cardigan… but thank you" the little smirk and eye roll she added not going amiss. She walked over, and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, and left a lingering hand to trail down his chest as she bent down.

"What's this?" she asked, picking up the intriguing item.

"It's got everything in it that I thought you might need, I wanted to be prepared, and for you to be comfortable" such an innocent and loving look glossing over his eyes.

"Harvey. It's only a day procedure, we'll be home again this afternoon. I look like I'm going for a week" she replied, with a mixture of confusion, amusement, and appreciation at just how sweet he was being.

"That's not the point" he replied, quickly brushing her comments off, and starting to unpack the bag to show her the contents. "I've put your favourite blanket in case you get cold, and your slippers too, because they'll want you to walk around a bit before they release you. There's your book for if you get bored waiting, and some earphones in case you don't feel like reading. I got 3 different soup's, all from that place you love, cause you have to eat something afterwards, especially as you cant this morning, but the hospital food is awful, so at least you've got a choice of your favourites. They're happy to heat them up in the hospitals kitchen, I called and checked earlier. Plenty of straws, in case your mouth is too numb, and it's hard to eat your soup with a spoon. And then last, there's a washcloth, for if you want to wash your face, or just clean your mouth up a bit, and some Chapstick so your lips don't get sore."

She was so taken aback by how much thought he'd put into it, and how he'd made sure she had everything she could possibly need, that it took a second to register he'd stopped talking. She knew he cared, and she'd seen him help people plenty of times before, but this softer and more nurturing side of him was something she hadn't seen much of at all. Here was Harvey, looking after her, taking the day off work so he could stay with her, after all these years. The reality of that, and the fact she would be coming home with him again, and falling asleep in his bed, with his arms wrapped around her, was still not something she could fully get her head around.

* * *

They made it to the hospital, and got settled in the room, with the doctor and nurses coming by every now and again to check on something, or to ask a few questions and fill in some forms or whatever else. They sat and chatted about a case for a little while, before Donna decided she felt like reading for a bit, and took out her book, with an appreciative smile in Harvey's direction. As she turned onto her side facing towards him, and pulled her legs up slightly, he found himself just sat watching her, taking in the view before him. Admiring just how beautiful she really is, regardless of whether she's in a $3000 dress, or comfy clothes for lounging around the apartment. There were so many things he loved about her. The sparkle that glistened in her spellbinding hazel eyes, the ocean of honey coloured freckles that lay scattered across her velvety soft skin, the fiery mane of red hair that cascaded down over her shoulders.

There had always been something ethereal to her beauty, unlike anyone else he'd ever met, a quality that was so undeniably 'Donna", but it still couldn't ever be put into words. His whole world was lying on that bed in front of him, and he couldn't remember ever feeling so content and utterly blessed.

An hour or so later, the doctor came round and was finally ready to take Donna down to theater. After giving Harvey a kiss, she turned to follow the doctor who'd already began walking down the corridor, before she felt his hand grab onto hers.

"Tell them that if you don't get the absolute best treatment, I'll sue all of their asses" he said, meaning every word.

"I'll be fine Harvey, I'll see you in a bit" a small chuckle escaping her lips, and with that, she gave him another quick kiss and walked through the doors.

The wait for donna to come back felt like weeks, while in reality, the procedure only took 45 minutes. As soon as he saw the bed being wheeled towards the door, he leapt out of his seat to check with the doctors that everything went well, and she was okay. After he'd been told everything went to plan, and given the orders to make sure she drinks plenty of water, and that they'll check she'd eaten something before release her, he perched himself on the edge of the bed, and sat stroking her hair, careful not to wake her. Her cheeks were slightly puffy, and her mouth had traces of blood around it, but she looked so peaceful sleeping next to him, that he couldn't help but smile.

It only took about 15 minutes for Donna to start stirring, and Harvey to direct his attention away from the emails on his phone, back to solely focussing on her. Her eyebrows started to scrunch up slightly, although her eyes were still shut, as she wriggled and clumsily patted and grabbed at his leg and stomach, presumably trying to figure out where she was. After another minute or two, her eyes fluttered open, as she tried to get her bearings through the hazy vision caused by the drug's after-effects.

"Hey you, how're you feeling? Can I get you anything?" he asked tentatively, lifting her chin ever so slightly so she would look at him, his hand naturally tilting so his thumb could stroke her cheek.

She lifted a finger and tapped it on his nose a couple of times, her eyes seemingly going in and out of focus, as she looked intently at his face. A hand then landed on the side of his face, and stroked down across his jaw, until it landed on his shoulder. She took a huge breath, and started to try to speak, her words all slurring together, and stuttering every couple of syllables

"Yoouurrr f-ffacee, is.. prettttty for a, a, a m-man. You, y-yyou're a nniiice nurse mmaaannn!" a stupidly big grin plastered over her face, as she stroked his cheekbone up and down.

"Donna, it's me. It's Harvey. I think the drugs have confused you a bit, but I'm here, and I'm going to make sure you eat and drink something, and then we're going to go home, okay?" he said, trying to hold back a giggle at the drunken-like state that had taken over her.

After taking a few seconds to fully wake up, she turned her head to the window at the side of the room, and sighs. As she goes to speak, the words start to come more naturally, and are a lot more coherent this time.

"No you're not, there's no way Harvey would be here. I might want him to be, but that's never going to happen" she replied, in a calm, yet flat tone, with a very solemn look on her face.

"Why wouldn't he be here? Why wouldn't that ever happen?" he asked, deciding to try and figure out what had given her this idea, rather than fight the fact she was still under the effects of the drugs, so didn't recognize him.

"Because. He's never going to want me like this, I'm just his colleague, his old secretary, and I guess his friend, on a good day. He'll never want me in any other way. He's told me that, and I just need to accept that that's all we'll ever be. Friends. I can love him for my entire life, I can love him with everything I have, but that's not going to change anything. It's okay. It has to be." the latter said while she turned her head towards him, and gave a forced smile.

Before Harvey could come up with a response, her face suddenly lit up, and her eyes darted back to the window, shocking him with such a sudden change in her mood.

"Look! There's a flamingo just outside the window! Look at it! It's so pretty! I want to go look at it!" she exclaimed with so much excitement in her voice, it was adorably heart-warming. Even if she was imagining things.

The previous comment was resting heavily in his mind, but her attention was clearly elsewhere now, so he'd revisit that later, when she was a bit less out of it.

"You cant get out of bed just yet, the meds will have messed with your balance, and you could get dizzy and pass out. You need to rest for a bit longer and eat something, okay?" he said gently, remembering the doctors saying she could experience mood swings and hallucinations as part of coming down from the drugs. He had to try to stay composed, though seeing donna reacting like an excited kid at the zoo, to something that wasn't even there was rather entertaining.

She turned her head to look back at him, and had the most adorable mixture of a frown and a pout on her face, heightening the resemblance to a 5 year old even further.

"It's gone now, you made me miss it! I wanted to go and make friends with the flamingo!" a sigh following soon after for added effect.

"I'm sorry," was all he could manage for a few seconds, while trying to stifle the laugh that was near escaping him. "Here, try this. I got one of the nurses to heat up some of your soup, so if you eat something, we can get you home to rest" he said softly, while handing her the small bowl and spoon, careful not to spill any. She took a few mouthfuls, and smiled up at Harvey, thanking him. As she quickly ate the rest, he tucked the odd strand of hair behind her ear, to keep it out of her way, and also just so he had an excuse to touch her. He took the bowl and spoon back from her once she'd finished and set it on the little table that was stood next to the bed.

"I'm sure it would've liked to be friends with you too" he said with a soft smile, as he wiped a few stray drips away from her mouth, obviously the result from her lips still being extremely numb.

"Of course it would have, I'm fabulous! Oooh, what do you think its name was? It looked a bit like a Penelope! Oooh, or maybe lulu?" her brows furrowing in deep concentration.

Harvey was finding this all highly amusing, so he decided to play along, and have some fun while she was still this loopy.

"Okay, where do you think this 'Penelope' had come from?" he asked, with a playful tone, quite excited to see what reply would follow.

"Hmmm, let me see. I don't think she came from home, and she hadn't been shopping, because she didn't have any bags with her…ahh, I feel like she's just finished work! Ohhh, I know what she does! She owns her own salon! Her hair was a gorgeous colour, and that lipstick she was wearing worked so well with it! I wonder if she does yoga? I bet she does, I wonder if I'll see her at a yoga class sometime?" she trails off, starting to get sleepy.

Harvey noticed her eyes getting heavier, and decided to call in the doctor so they could get her discharged, and home to sleep and recuperate. Thankfully, the doctor was quick, and after a few final questions, and signing off on a couple of forms, they were free to go.

He helped Donna get up off the bed and put her shoes on, careful to avoid making her dizzy, or giving her a head rush. They made their way out to the car, a supportive arm wrapped around her waist, while his other arm was holding the bag and excessive amount of aftercare leaflets. They get in the car, and begin their journey home, donna drifting into a peaceful, yet heavy sleep within less than 5 minutes of leaving the hospital.

* * *

The journey took around 40 minutes, and when they got back to Harveys' condo, donna didn't seem to show any signs of waking up.

Harvey got out of the car, and slung the bag over his shoulder, rounding the car to open Donna's door, and try and wake her.

"We're home babe, time to wake up" he said gently, whilst stroking her cheek with one hand, and undoing her seatbelt with the other.

After receiving no reaction what so ever, he tried again.

"Don, we're home"

He gave her shoulder a squeeze, and rubbed her other arm, hoping she would stir, but to no avail. He chuckled to himself lightly, as he bent down to pick her up. He was careful not to hurt her as he got her out of the car, and as he straightened his back, her head slumped into the crook of his neck, a few stray hairs tickling his chin.

"Who said chivalry is dead, hey?" he muttered to himself quietly with a content smile making its way across his face, as he locked the car, and started to walk into the building. The elevator ride up felt a lot longer than it should have, his arms starting to grow tired as they reached his floor. Donna wasn't overly heavy, but he could definitely tell he hadn't been boxing much recently. Things were still a bit hectic at the firm, and he spent every other minute of free time with Donna, either out to dinner, watching some show she was obsessing over, or just revelling in each other's company at home. Now that it was something they could actually do. Completely unguarded, totally free, and loving their new state of absolute bliss.

He managed to unlock the door, and get inside, walking straight through to the bedroom to lay her down. He took off her shoes, carefully tucked her under the covers, stroking her hair away from her face, and left a tender kiss on her forehead before quietly walking back out to the kitchen. He unloaded the bag and put the remaining cartons of soup in the fridge, ready to heat through when she woke up. He knew she'd likely be hungry again, given all she'd eaten within the last 24 hours was the little bowl he gave her after her surgery.

About an hour went by, Harvey checking on her occasionally making sure she was still okay, and sleeping peacefully, while he watched some tv. He couldn't concentrate on it properly though, unable to shake the thought of what she had said earlier about him never wanting her. How could she think he didn't want her? She was the only person he truly _had _wanted for the last 13 years, the other women just a way to try and distract himself from that fact. He didn't know whether to bring it up to her later or not, unsure if it was just the drugs talking, or if it was something she genuinely believed or feared.

He was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't heard her stirring in the bedroom, and only when he felt her presence behind him did he snap back to reality. He got up straight away, walking round the sofa to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her in for a warm and comforting hug, holding onto her a bit tighter than he had meant to. "How're you feeling?" a soft concern in his voice, pulling his head back to look at her. His left hand stayed in its new found natural position rested on her waist, while his right moved up to caress the side of her face.

"I'm fine. It feels like my head isn't part of my body anymore, and like my jaw is going to just, fall off, but yeah, I'm fine" she responded with a small chuckle, and a chaste kiss to his lips.

"I'll heat up some soup, you want the chicken or tomato?" he asked, releasing her from his hold, to walk over to the kitchen.

"Chicken please" her hand massaging the side of her jaw gently, as she followed him to sit on one of the bar stools. After heating through on the hob for just long enough that it was warm, but wouldn't hurt her mouth, Harvey poured the soup into a bowl, and set it on the counter in front of her. She gave him a small smile, and squeezed his hand, showing her appreciation. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes while Donna eagerly ate her soup, and Harvey fiddled about with a glass of water.

"Do you remember waking up in the hospital room after they brought you back from theatre?" he asked, finally deciding to broach the subject that had been playing on his mind all afternoon.

"Not really, no. I only remember reading my book before I went down there, urmmm, a little bit of walking to the car, and then waking up here. Why?" she questioned, intrigued as to where he was going with this.

"So you don't remember talking about anything in there?" he hoped that maybe it _was_ just the drugs talking, and she didn't actually believe he didn't want her.

"No? Why? What did I say?" she sounded slightly worried, which Harvey quickly wanted to extinguish, so he decided to go in the opposite direction to what he planned.

"You apparently saw a flamingo outside the window and wanted to go make friends with it" he said with a chuckle.

"I what? I wanted to go and make friends with a flamingo? Oh god" she groaned, moving her hands to cover her face.

"Oh it gets better! You'd conjured up this little backstory for it as well, saying something about her owning her own salon, and that you liked her 'hair and lipstick' combination. Oh, and how you thought she did yoga, and hoped you'd see her at one of your classes!" he shook his head slowly, accompanied by his signature Cheshire chat grin.

She just sat and listened, looking through the gaps between her fingers, not knowing quite what to say. He carried on.

"And then, when I told you that you couldn't get up because the doctors said so, you got moody, said it had gone and I made you miss it, and pouted like 4 year old who was about to throw a tantrum" his playful tone, and raised eyebrow only teasing her more.

"Hey, you were the one who insisted on babysitting me!" she retorted, but as there were still remnants of the drugs affecting her brain, she'd gone to point an accusing finger at him, but used the wrong hand, which was currently holding a spoon full of soup.

Before she could register what she'd done, a huge splatter of soup had landed across Harvey's chest and the left side of his face, some of it getting in his hair too. Her free hand immediately coming up to cover her mouth, as her eyes widened, and she tried to hold in the laughter that was inevitably going to erupt.

His initial reaction was shock, and his eyes went wide, but as soon as it had come, his expression was replaced with a slight smirk pulling at the sides of his lips. The playful glint that flashed across those enchanting brown eyes of his was all it took for her to burst into a fully-fledged fit of giggles.

"Oh you're in for it now, Paulsen!" he declared, while quickly walking round the end of the counter to catch her, as she'd got up and was starting to run away from him. The combination of their laughs flurried round the condo, as Harvey chased her round the sofa, over to the dining table, and then back to the kitchen. They're at a standstill, with donna on one side of the counter, and Harvey on the other, both with huge grin's plastered across their faces, daring the other to make a run for it. Somehow, without having time to react to Harvey's arm moving, donna felt a gush of water reach her neck, and trickle down across her chest, causing her to flinch. He'd thrown the water that was left in his glass at her, and found himself highly amusing, turning to run towards the bedroom, while she looked down at her now soaked tank top.

As quickly as he'd moved though, she was hot on his tail, running after him, and poised to jump onto his back after the next footstep. As they entered into the bedroom, Harvey suddenly turned on the spot in front of her, causing her to run into his chest, and they collapsed backwards onto the bed, his arms wrapped round her waist, hers coming to rest as either side of his head. They laid like that for a few moments, just giggling like hysterical children, and feeling their bodies pressed against each other.

Laying there, just looking up at her, marvelling at the paradox that is Donna Paulsen, he didn't think he could ever be more in love, or feel more adoration for anyone, or anything. He raised his head slightly, and pressed his lips against hers, in an intense but gentle kiss, and tightened his grip, to pull her further into him, wanting to feel every inch of her body on his. After a few seconds, he turned onto his side, placing donna gently on the bed, with him now laying to the side of her.

As they broke the kiss, Donna noticed his face had turned more serious, and she could tell he was caught up on something. But before she could ask him what was wrong, or do her donna thing and figure out what it was, he blurted out "I've wanted you from the second I met you. I've never met anyone like you. You're everything I ever thought I wanted, and everything I never knew I needed. You keep me grounded, but life feels like I'm floating when I'm with you. You call me out on my bullshit, but are still somehow the most loving, kind, caring, compassionate, and just, breath-taking woman I've ever met, and I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I didn't have you. You've had faith in me when no one else has, you help me to be a better man, and I don't know what I did to deserve you. But, I'm going to do everything I can to be that person who is worthy of calling you mine. "

Donna hadn't even realized she'd started crying, too captivated by his eyes, and lost in trying to absorb everything he was saying. She'd never seen a more sincere look on his face, and noticed his eyes weren't too different from her own, tears threatening to spill at the corners of both of them.

"Harvey…" was the only word she could manage to choke out, too emotional from his declaration.

His response was to pour the rest of the words he couldn't find into a kiss, to try and show her just how much he wants her, and how he _always_ has. Their lips fuse, and fall into a natural rhythm, their tongues gliding across each other in a movement more graceful than any dance, exchanging things that words never could. Neither had ever had a connection with someone else like they had with each other, and now they no longer had to stop themselves from acknowledging it, it had only grown stronger.

They laid for a while, foreheads pressed together, the tips of their noses touching, and eyes closed, in a state of complete and utter bliss. Silence had never been so comfortable. It was Donna who opened her eyes first, and as she looked at him, a smirk started to creep across her lips. Harvey didn't need to look at her to sense what face she was pulling.

"What? I can hear your smirk." he asked lazily, still in a slight daze.

The fact he just came out with such a 'Donna" comment made her smile even more, and she let out a slight snigger.

"You've still covered in soup. And now apparently I am too" she teased, swiping her thumb across his cheekbone, where some of it had settled.

"Well, what d'you say we go fix that? Care to join me for a nice hot bath?" He got up from the bed, and reached out his hand to help her up.

"I don't mind if I do" a delicate smile crossing her face, as she accepted his hand, and he pulled her up and towards the bathroom.

He turned the water on, and went to clean the kitchen while they waited for the tub to fill up. Donna stayed in the bathroom, and picked out some bubble bath, trickling some under the stream of water, and watching it foam up into a thin layer at the top of the water.

Harvey was the first to climb in, getting comfy with his back against one end, and his legs spread so she could sit in between them. She got in after him, careful not to splash too much and make even more of a mess. Once the water had stilled, she laid back, resting her body against Harvey's chest and stomach, with her head settling against the side of his cheek. His arms instinctively wrapped round her waist, the left set on her stomach drawing little patterns with one of his fingers. The other was bent upwards, with her hand against the back of his, resting on her chest, fingers intertwined, and her thumb stroking across his knuckles.

"I've wanted you forever too y'know. That has never changed. It's you Harevy. It's always been you." she says barely above a whisper, in complete honesty.

He pulls her further into him, and nuzzles his head down into the crook of her neck, leaving a couple of open mouthed kisses across the freckles he found there.

"I love you." The words now coming so naturally, but they still cause Donna's breath to hitch slightly whenever she hears them.

"And I love you" she replies, pulling his hand up to kiss one of his fingers.

As they lay there, bodies comfortably tangled together in the warm water, Harvey silently makes a promise, to Donna and himself. The promise that he'll spend the rest of his days finding ways to not only be the man who deserves her, but to tell and show her how much he wants her too. Always has, and always will. In every way.


End file.
